A Hancock Christmas

Our annual Sunday Christmas picture in front of the tree. I think both of the boys started undressing as soon as we walked through the door.
Grandma and Poppa got the boys a new trampoline! YAY! Our old one died several months back in our neighbors yard during a monsoon. Hayden was so excited! He loves to jump. Shawn was relieved to have some help putting it together. Thanks guys!

I was a little excited about the boys new bathrobes and super sick slippers. They make me laugh. Don't they look like Grandpa's?
Hayden helps Grandpa Darryl open his present...as if he didn't have enough of his own to open, that little turkey.
Hayden is such a sweetheart. He bought a "Baby's first Christmas" stocking at the student store for Libby. After he bought it he came home from school and wrapped it up for her. He loves his baby sister!

Ethan's number one present that he wanted this year was Lego Universe. Thank goodness Santa pulled through for him!

According to Ethan Christmas this year was the Best ever! And I think I would have to agree, it was pretty great. We were lucky enough to have my Mom and Darryl, and friend Eddie, be with us this year. They are such great guests we always love when they stay with us, and are sad when they leave.

A few Christmas highlights:

1. Baking in the kitchen with my Mom
2. Christmas Eve FHE, and thinking about our gift to the Savior
3. Boys loving their stockings so much they didn't wake us up to early! Even though Ethan opened his stocking at one! That little stinker!
4. Christmas morning pull apart- most delicious ever
5. Kids loving all their presents, and getting everything they wanted, and not feeling like I went completely overboard
6. Being able to get a baby doll, and stroller (I was so excited all month for Libby to open her presents!)
7. Shawn bought me everything I wanted this year, he was so good to me! I got jammies, a camera, Just Dance 2, and piccross (a ds game...I know kinda silly, but so fun!) (Man I must have been a good girl this year!)
8. Going to the movies to see Gulliver's Travels
9. Christmas fettuccine (This is Shawn's favorite thing that he prepares, so its become our little tradition)
10. And of course playing with all the loot is always a highlight. Shawn said its his reason we had kids...so that he can still get all the fun toys for Christmas!

Sedona

My Dad and his girlfriend Nancy are staying in Sedona at their time share for a week and invited us to come and visit them. I've been looking for an excuse to visit Sedona for forever so we were really excited to get the chance to go with them. Their time share is beautiful and very comfortable. We had a great time together. We went for a walk to enjoy the beautiful outdoors, Sedona is gorgeous. I love the red rock with the beautiful pine trees. We also went window shopping. Played games in the game room, and even had a little time to relax!

Thanks so much for having us Dad, and Nancy! We love ya!

A Gingerbread Party

I thought it would be fun to have a few of our friends over to make gingerbread houses together on our first official day of winter break. It was so fun.

We had 14 kids + 3 babies + 4 Mommies!

The kids really got into it and came up with some brilliant houses- I was quite impressed! I think I might be cleaning up frosting for a few days but it was totally worth it!

Ethan and His Band

OK so maybe its not Ethan's band, but he rocked out like it was! Ethan talked Shawn and I into letting him play drums in band this year. He wasn't busy enough with scouts and baseball, he had to do one more thing. But in his defense this isn't a time consuming hobby, he practices at school and on the days we have time he practices. So it is mostly just for fun...Well for him, I am not crazy about the practicing, I usually go out for practice time. Is that mean??

Anyway this last Saturday the kids met at the Norterra shopping center and played a few songs for shoppers. It was a fun idea. There were quite a few other schools and groups playing too. Ethan thought it was cool because they played on trash cans instead of the drums.

After the concert we went to Target for their "Rides for Toys" night. If you donate a toy you get to ride around the parking lot on a firetruck or police car with the siren and lights on. Needless to say it was a hit.

It was a very fun and festive night!

My Christmas Advent

I love the holiday season. It is such a magical month! Its the season of giving, caring, sharing, loving, and believing. To help my family remember the reason for the season I've put together an advent calendar to help us celebrate everyday.

My idea is each morning or evening they can take turns opening that days "to do" advent. I also have put a piece of candy in each day.

Here is our list of mini adventures for this special month:

Bake and decorate cookies
Paint an ornament

Drink hot cocoa and read Polar Express

Play secret Santa, and do something nice for someone

Read the story of baby Jesus in Luke, and act out Nativity

Watch the movie, The Nativity

Play a Christmas game

Watch your favorite Christmas movie

Decorate the Christmas tree

Go look at lights in the neighborhood

Go to the temple to see the lights and the nativity

Sing Christmas songs

Make tags to go on presents

Wrap presents

Have breakfast for dinner

Have a picnic dinner

Play in the snow

Christmas church party

Make someone a gift (sibling, grandparent, teacher...)

Christmas shopping

Deliver goodies to neighbors

Sleep under the Christmas tree

Put out cookies and a carrot for Rudolf

What is your favorite thing to do this month?

Back Seat Talk

Yesterday while driving I heard Ethan whispering to Libby. He said softly "You are my very best friend... You know where it says that? It says it right here on my heart."

Talk about pulling on my heart strings. I literally got a tear in my eye. There are small moments like these when it makes my whole life seem worthwhile.

So I said to Ethan, "oh Ethan that is the sweetest thing I've ever heard. It says that on my heart too."

Ethan then pauses. "Mom," in that tone that only a true tweener has, "they say that on Zach and Cody." (which if you don't know is a really stupid show they like to watch, and that I now hate even more!) Then he laughs. At. Me.

Oh. Dang. Of course it is. Silly me.

It was really funny. I laugh about it every time I think of it.

Grandma's Birthday Weekend

Happy Birthday Candy!

My beautiful nieces!

Jamie and Chalon...I love you guys!

The boys waiting (patiently) for their cup cakes and ice cream! And may I say that the cake was so Delicious, cake + frosting from scratch= to die for! I might have had like three, and maybe one for breakfast too!

Terry told Candy that no one could come celebrate her birthday, so she was surprised that we had a full house. Shawn's two brothers, and kids, and Uncle came. It was a very nice party. It was fun to see everyone.

On Friday Candy and Terry came to watch Hayden get his game on!

Ethan, Noah, Kayla, and Libby

Thanks for coming! We love you!

Hayden's Baseball Game

Sorry I know these are terrible pictures. But you can kind of make out Hayden in the green shirt on third base.

Hayden on 1st base!

Fall Ball is so fun. I love spreading out the blanket and watching the kids play. But its freezing! Shawn and I take turns holding the heater, I mean Libby! Both Ethan and Hayden are loving it. This is Hayden's first time playing for this league. It is so fun to watch him get out there and play hard. He loves to bat, catch, and throw! Ethan is doing awesome too. He has a couple friends on his team from previuos seasons, and a few from church too. Ethan's favorite part is the chewing gum and sunflower seeds!
I will try to take better pictures at their next game.

Hide and Seek

We go to church at 2 in the afternoon on Sundays. So we have a lot of down time. Whats there to do? Besides the obvious: sleeping in, french toast (made by Shawnee), a lazy walk? We love those things but we like to mix it up a bit too, so we, which really means "the boys", have started "Sunday fight night", which is definitely my favorite thing (or really farthest from it), but this last Sunday they played a good old fashioned game of hide and seek. It was really cute Hayden wanted to find the best hiding spot ever, so Ethan said he would count to 200 to give him plenty of time to find the perfect spot. But he said if he was done hiding before he got to 200 to yell out ready! So as you can imagine every time Hayden would yell out "Ready!" Ethan would know exactly where to look, because he could hear where he was coming from. It was really funny, and Hayden just didn't get it! So then he just hid Elizabeth instead!

Oh these kids crack me up!

Veteran's Day Parade

Here is our YM/YW float

This year is the Cub Scouts 80th Birthday, and Boy Scouts 100th Birthday! So the cubs made a big cake on their float! It looks awesome doesn't it? Good work cubs!

Ethan wanted to walk in the parade this year. He is so sweet, when he saw me he came and gave me a big hug. He is such a sweetheart! I totally got all choked up!

Hayden got a little sidetracked when he found these lizards in a big pipe in the ground. I guess there was a scorpion down there too. But maybe he got eaten? Do lizards eat scorpions?

Hayden was my little camera man this year at the parade. He took a ton of pictures! He had a good time. I always love the veteran's parade, its kind of embarrassing I always get a frog in my throat, I just love seeing all the kids waving their flags, and all the veterans. It is so cool. I love when the community comes together and celebrates life.